Best of the Web Today columnist James Taranto responds to comments from his Aug. 16 column, “Dog the Wag,” on a controversy about an Obama-masked clown at a state fair. Photos: Jameson Hsieh/AP

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... double ECP and other groups or bear a son about recent climb performance in Missouri ... have a look ... I ... the ... the ... at that ... the ... I ... I ... I ... welcome back to Opinion Journal who was evident from that video but the flap was about a clown ... who was ... in funding for President Obama wearing a mask on his face the White House spokesman Josh earnest called it ... will not one of miseries finer moments and quote and then ... the clown lost his job but best of the Web Today columnist James Taranto defended the clown ... and now he's here to answer readers' comments James ... put up the first coming here and I quote ... the individual who took on the role of a clown in misery my if Mason people laugh but it was see the expense ... of so many others were cheaper ... well the piece that I wrote was about ... another clown make resurfaced Icahn wrote a piece on CNN saying ... this guy is not ... the following clown ethics that actually has a current code of ethics ... it turns out this guy is a rodeo clown he's not the same kind of clown Circus ... the difference ... the difference is that it has now seasoned professional clowns take themselves very seriously and I have this code of ethics and ... our I you know they're not supposed to make people uncomfortable apparently an ... innocent people are afraid of clowns so they have to do whatever they can do do a swatch their fears ... I mean it seems a bit overwrought today ... but we do the job a rodeo clown is basically safety it's not entertainment gets to protect ... the bullfighter from being bored ... and so I do we should go a little easier on the rodeo clown and we would on a circus clown or the kind of clown who performs a children's birthday parties and KLA have the last word on that answer ... to the next reader comment and I quote ... I wonder if there would be any problem had the clown than wearing a Bush or Nixon mask that's from Charles Sultan's ... SWAT silly little story in the mid nineteen eighties I was in Berkeley California visiting a friend who was in graduate school there ... and one afternoon in a park in Berkeley ... they have what they called the Berkeley anti Reagan Festival this was a literal he fast aimed at the then president of the United States ... I don't remember anyone trying to shut it down calling for the Secret Service investigate or anything like that ... it was understood to be you know perhaps a little silly props and foretaste but ... within the great American tradition of free political speech while Indian Double ACP in others can upset about this or that brings us to the next letter ... okay let's put that up on the screen and I quote ... but then cheering crowd in this respect for the office was not very pretty ... particularly given Obama xray Sandy and cultural similarity to more malicious attacks are passed ... and stereotypes we are all too familiar with that's from Robert do pray to saints well that answers your question ... odd but here's the problem you know the animal ACP says oh you can't ... tackle bomber you kept on mock him in this way ... because he's black ... there was a guy Alex sites wall but think his name is for salon who wrote this piece saying ... I'd you know this reminded him of forget what the analogy used are wise but all he compared it with the blackface performer in a minstrel show even though was not makeup that was AEI it was a mass ... art ... you know ... who is the race is the guy who makes fun of the present United States for the guy who looks to the likeness of the present United States ... and can only see this color ... I think that is the people who say don't make fun of Obama because he's black who have a racial double standard Obama is the present United States we have a black president that's terrific it's a sign of progress but part of being president is ... people market ... okay best of the Web Today columnist James